The Shadow Matrix Read Free Page A

the River Valeron enjoying the fine
    autumn day. The breeze ruffled the golden hair on his brow, and his blue eyes mirrored
    the color of the water. The air was crisp, and the trees along the banks were clothed in
    golds and russets which reminded him of a certain pair of penetrating eyes that
    belonged to his cousin Marguerida Alton. Of course, he realized, almost everything
    reminded him of her, and in fact it was difficult not to think of her instead of focusing
    on the task before him.
    He was returning to the Elhalyn lands he had visited briefly four years before. Then he
    had been the paxman of Dyan Ardais and the nominal heir of Regis Hastur—as indeed
    he still was. Now he had been appointed Regent to the Elhalyn Domain, charged With
    the responsibility of testing the sons of Priscilla Elhalyn to determine if any of them
    was mentally stable enough to take on the largely ceremonial but important task of
    being king.
    Mikhail remembered his previous encounter with Priscilla, which had ended in a
    séance, and shook his head a little. He wondered if Burl, the bone-reader, and Ysaba,
    the medium, were still her companions. He knew the Elhalyns had left the castle
    shortly after he and Dyan had been there, and had removed to Halyn House. That was
    where he was going, accompanied by two Guardsmen, Daryll and Mathias. He should
    have had a larger entourage—his new and unwanted position demanded it. Priscilla
    had wished that Mikhail should come alone, but as eager as his uncle was to restore the
    Elhalyn kingship, that was out of the question. Regis had sent the Guardsmen, and
    Mikhail was glad of their company.
    Whenever Mikhail thought about the meeting in the
    Crystal Chamber in Comyn Castle just before Midsummer, his spirits sank. He had
    gone over and over the events, trying to unravel them. First his Uncle Regis had
    announced that he was disbanding the Telepathic Council, which had helped govern
    Darkover for more than twenty years, and was restoring the traditional Comyn
    Council. Then, without warning or consultation, he had appointed Mikhail as Regent to
    Elhalyn, and Mikhail had accepted the position out of his sense of duty. He had not had
    time to think it over, to weigh the merits or consider the ramifications. He really had
    had no choice but to accept.
    The anger that had simmered within him for months stirred in his belly. Mikhail had
    never had reason to be angry with his uncle until now, and he hated feeling this way.
    But he could not avoid the realization that Regis had manipulated him into a position
    he did not want, for reasons he refused to explain. Only his own deep sense of duty had
    made him submit, grinding his teeth with frustration. There was something going on
    that he was unable to understand. His only comfort was that he was not alone in his
    feeling—no one, except perhaps Danilo Syrtis-Ardais, knew what Regis Hastur was up
    to at present.
    Mikhail knew his uncle to be a clever and canny man, a man who had managed to
    guide Darkover through a terrible period in her long and bloody history. He had always
    trusted Regis, but now this trust was besieged by his own emotions, and doubts as
    well. He had analyzed the problem as well as he was able, and found within it enough
    contradictions to give him concern. He had even permitted himself to wonder if Regis
    Hastur knew what he was doing— only briefly before he choked off the thought and
    banished it to the back of his mind.
    Mikhail thought about his most recent interview with Regis, just before he had set out.
    His uncle had seemed tired and distracted, and he had felt very uncomfortable asking
    for Regis' time and attention. The Elhalyn Regency was a small matter compared with
    restoring the Council, the problem of the contested heirship of the Alton Domain, or
    the possibility of the Aldarans returning to Comyn society.
    The Hastur charm, "of which Regis had an unusual amount, was absent. Mikhail had
    asked the questions